The Smithsonian is the largest museum and research complex in the world. Its mission, unchanged since the founding of the Institution in 1846, is “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Today, we’re more determined than ever to make sure that all Americans, whoever they are, wherever they may live, have access to the more than 143.7 million historic, artistic, and scientific treasures at the Smithsonian. You may have the potential to help in that effort.

Our commitment to attracting a diverse audience to the Smithsonian is strong and ongoing. We know we’re not done, but major efforts are under way—with new museums, exhibitions, public programs, Web sites, education, and outreach. Much has been accomplished in reaching out to diverse audiences and age groups, and we fully intend to do more, we need to do more—both within the Smithsonian and across the country. We’re just as committed to attracting a diverse array of small businesses to help us as we fulfill our mission, and we strongly adhere to a policy of equal opportunity in all aspects of our business relationships. Accordingly, we urge all small, minority, socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a), woman-owned, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone), and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses to inform the Smithsonian about their capabilities so that we can provide you with opportunities to compete on Smithsonian procurements.

Our inclusive policies, practices, and activities regarding small and disadvantaged business utilization are outlined in this brochure, and we encourage you to become familiar with them. Our Office of Contracting is ready to help you with any questions you might have. We look forward to doing business with you.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

I am pleased to welcome you to explore business opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution. Each year, the Smithsonian spends approximately $100 million in the procurement of goods and services. This booklet was developed specifically to encourage and assist small, minority, socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a), woman-owned, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone), and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in marketing their products and services to the Smithsonian. The brochure explains how to identify and take advantage of business opportunities with the Smithsonian and how to use the services of its Supplier Diversity Program in the Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs. Doing business with you is important to us. We hope this information will be your key to locating contracting opportunities with the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Institution is renowned worldwide for its unique collections, exhibitions, and research programs. The diverse needs of the Institution create specialized requirements ranging from the construction or renovation of a museum to the publication of a brochure for a new exhibition, from the fulfillment of information technology needs for an administrative office to the purchase of specialized equipment to study the stars.
This brochure is intended to serve the following businesses seeking work with the Smithsonian:

Small businesses,

Minority businesses,

Socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a) businesses,

Woman-owned businesses,

Businesses in the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program
administered by the Small Business Administration, and

Service-disabled veteran-owned firms.

It outlines the organization and the operational needs of the Smithsonian and provides guidance on how a business can go about trying to fulfill those needs.
The Smithsonian fully recognizes its responsibility to provide opportunities for these firms, and it counts on them to supply many different types of goods and services. In fact, about half of the $100 million that the Smithsonian spends every year in prime federal contracts with the private sector is awarded to small businesses, and about 15 percent goes to minority-owned businesses. In order to continue to improve on this impressive record, we want you to know more about who we are, what we buy, and what purchasing procedures we use.

ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Smithsonian Institution is the worldís largest museum and research complex, with 18 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. Most of the museums are located in Washington, D.C. The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian are in New York City.
As a leading scientific research organization, the Smithsonian has science centers in eight states and the Republic of Panama. Research also is carried out in the museums and their satellite facilities. Work of Smithsonian scientists around the globe contributes to what we know in the fields of science, history, and the arts.
For visitors to its museums, the Smithsonian is committed to creating lifelong memories of discovery. In communities across the nation, the Institution reaches Americans with programs that offer the Smithsonian experience to adults and young people alike.
There were more than 24 million visits to the museums and the National Zoo in 2003. Admission to all Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., is free. The museums are open every day of the year, except December 25.

History and Mission
The Smithsonian is an independent trust instrumentality of the United States. The Institution was created by an act of Congress in 1846 to carry out the terms of the will of James Smithson of England, who had bequeathed his entire estate to the United States of America “to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” After accepting the trust property for the United States, Congress gave responsibility for administering the trust to a Board of Regents.

The Smithsonian’s mission is to enlarge our understanding of the mosaic that is our national identity. We provide experiences that connect us to our history and our heritage as Americans and promote innovation, research, and discovery in science.

Collections
The total number of objects, works of art, and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at more than 143.7 million, including 126 million specimens and artifacts at the National Museum of Natural History. These collections serve as the intellectual base for exhibition, education, scholarship, and discovery. Many artifacts are donated to the Smithsonian by individuals, private collectors, and federal agencies; others come to the collections through field expeditions, bequests, exchanges with other museums and organizations, and purchases.

Artifacts not on display and research collections are stored in collection study areas in the museums and at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, about six miles from the National Mall. Most are available to researchers by appointment.

Budget
The Smithsonian’s direct federal appropriation for fiscal year 2004 was $600 million. The Institution is approximately 64 percent federally funded through congressional appropriations. In addition to federal funds, the Smithsonian receives funding from private sources, including gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations; earnings from investments; revenue from membership programs; and revenue from sales activities, such as Smithsonian magazine, museum stores and restaurants, a mail order catalogue, large-screen theaters, and licensed products.

Federal appropriations support core functions, including caring for and conserving our national collections; sustaining basic research in history, science, and the arts; and educating the public through exhibitions and other programs. Federal funds also pay most costs associated with operating, maintaining, and protecting the large Smithsonian museum and research complex, as well as administrative and support services.

Private funds, known as trust funds, allow the Institution to undertake new ventures and enrich existing programs in ways that would not otherwise be possible. These funds provide a critical margin of excellence for carrying out innovative research, expanding and strengthening the national collections, developing and building new facilities, opening state-of-the-art exhibitions, and reaching out to America’s many different communities.

THE SMITHSONIAN AND SMALL BUSINESS

Supplier Diversity Program
The purpose of the Smithsonian’s Supplier Diversity Program (SDP), formerly known as the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (SDBU) Program, is to provide advocacy for and direction to small and disadvantaged businesses, or SDBs. The program seeks to ensure that these firms receive equal opportunity and appropriate consideration in the Smithsonian’s procurement of goods and services.
The Institution’s policy is to provide small, minority, socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a), woman-owned, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone), and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses—referred to collectively as small and disadvantaged businesses—the opportunity to participate, to the maximum extent possible, in all federal contracts entered into by the Institution. When appropriate, the Smithsonian also expends its trust funds based on these principles.
In 1993, the Smithsonian established a Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Program in its Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs to support and enhance initiatives already in place in the Office of Contracting. The Smithsonian is not an executive agency as defined in the Administrative Procedures Act and, as such, is not subject to Public Law 95-507 and other relevant statutes and executive orders that mandate the establishment of an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. However, the Institution has long followed the spirit and intent of these statutes in its procurement actions and, by establishing the SDBU Program, chose a more active approach in promoting equal opportunity in its business relationships. In January 2000, the program’s name was changed to the Supplier Diversity Program to recognize the utilization of both federal and trust expenditures and to acknowledge the diversity of Smithsonian suppliers.

Key components of the program include:

Development of outreach initiatives to heighten SDB awareness of contracting opportunities at the Smithsonian;

Development and implementation of creative initiatives that encourage the increased utilization of SDBs through “win-win” strategies;

Establishment and monitoring of goals for the participation of SDBs in the procurement process;

Management of Supplier Diversity Program liaison staff to assist in promoting SDP initiatives at the Smithsonian unit level;

Development of training seminars to educate Smithsonian buyers on the benefits of utilizing SDBs;

Evaluation of large prime contractors’ subcontracting plans, negotiation of goals for SDB participation, and monitoring of performance following contract awards;

Maintenance of a database of qualified SDBs used to conduct vendor searches for Smithsonian buyers; and

Publication of informational materials that
assist SDBs with their marketing efforts.

Procurement Policies and PracticesAn understanding of the Smithsonian’s procurement process helps suppliers develop effective marketing strategies and avoid mistakes that could prove costly. Many of the procurement procedures are similar to those used by federal agencies.

The federal government’s procurement process is different than that of private industry because it entails the spending of taxpayer dollars. Simply stated, the federal process involves obtaining the best results using best-value procedures, usually through competition, while carrying out many national security, social, and economic goals established by law. As a result, the formal process may seem rigid and frustrating to the small-business person.

Federal and Trust Fund Purchasing
Federal appropriations account for approximately 64 percent of the Smithsonian’s net operating funds. The purchase of supplies, materials, equipment, services, and building construction, alteration, and repair with appropriated funds is guided by the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and other federal regulations appropriate to the Smithsonian’s role as a trust instrumentality of the United States. The Smithsonian’s Office of Contracting and the Office of General Counsel determine the applicability of such regulations.

Funds that the Smithsonian receives from sources other than direct federal appropriations are known as trust funds, as described in the “Budget” section. When practicable, the policy for expenditure of trust funds is based on the principles embodied in the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Delegation of Authority
Through a delegation of authority from the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the director of the Office of Contracting is the designated Head of the Smithsonian Contracting Activity and principal Contracting Officer. In this capacity, the director is authorized to acquire property and services needed to conduct the affairs of the Institution and may redelegate his authority to other Smithsonian employees. Purchase orders and contracts may be entered into only by Smithsonian employees who hold official delegations of authority from the director of the Office of Contracting.

The director of the Contracting Office has delegated authority to more than 500 purchasing agents and contracting officers at the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, and offices (known as Smithsonian units). Each delegation of authority is in writing and contains administrative and dollar limitations. Purchases for restricted items or items that exceed the delegated dollar limits must be awarded from the Office of Contracting, but the unit purchasing staff remains responsible for the details of an agreement, including locating qualified vendors and obtaining price quotes.

Purchasing Policies
For purchases, the Smithsonian’s policy is to seek competition when possible to ensure that a fair and reasonable price is obtained from the vendor that is selected. The Smithsonian supports the use of priority sources, such as vendors under Federal Prison Industries Inc. (also known as UNICOR), vendors in the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Program, and General Services Administration supply sources or vendors with GSA contracts.

The Smithsonian also establishes and utilizes agency- and government-wide contracts for its needs. When these sources cannot provide the services or supplies required, the Institution turns to commercial sources in the open market. For open market purchases over $2,500, Smithsonian buyers are required to obtain quotations from at least three sources to ensure adequate competition. Exceptions exist in such cases as museum collections objects, lecturers, and some emergency purchases.

Although purchasing requirements that exceed the delegated procurement authority are submitted to the Office of Contracting for approval, the evaluation of vendors generally occurs at the unit level. Therefore, marketing efforts should be directed to the Supplier Diversity Program liaisons for those units rather than Contracting Office staff.

Purchases under $100,000 are generally set aside for small businesses. If a company qualifies as a small, minority, socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a), woman-owned, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone), or service-disabled veteran-owned business, it will receive consideration for needs not met through existing Smithsonian contracts or other pre-established government contracts. When appropriate and feasible, purchasing requirements are submitted for consideration under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program, which is described at the Web address www.sba.gov/8abd/.

Purchasing Process
Before initiating an acquisition from commercial sources, Smithsonian staff must determine whether the required supplies or services are available from the applicable Federal Supply Schedule established by the General Services Administration. (Firms interested in conducting business as a Federal Supply Schedule contractor should contact a GSA Business Service Center.)

The purchasing process begins when a Smithsonian office identifies a need and writes a purchase description or a statement of work describing the need in detail. A market survey is performed to determine a price range. If the price is estimated to be above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) ($100,000), a requisition is submitted to the Office of Contracting, where it is screened for possible inclusion in any set-aside programs for small and disadvantaged businesses. Vendors are notified of the contracting opportunity and asked to provide proposal information. If the procurement falls under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, the unit searches for potential vendors and obtains three quotes.

Using a request for quotation (RFQ) or request for proposal (RFP), the Smithsonian unit describes its objectives, requirements, and other pertinent information. This solicitation contains all the information needed for a business to prepare an adequate response. Vendors should give great attention and care to their responses, noting all instructions, particularly the submittal deadline. Any oversight may result in elimination from consideration.

Solicitation Procedures Over SAT
Solicitations that result in the award of a contract that does not involve competition are known as sole-source procurements. Federal procurements emphasize the need for competition, so sole-source awards are the exception to the rule for the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian uses two types of competitive processes: sealed bidding and negotiation. Sealed bidding is a method of contracting that involves competitive bids, public opening of bids, and awards. Each sealed bid addresses the factors specified in the solicitation, including technical specifications, delivery or completion date, place and method of delivery, nature and number of reports or manuals, and operational tests and instructions. Smithsonian terms and conditions are described in detail, while contract clauses are incorporated by reference to the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Unless specifically authorized, a bid submitted electronically or an alternate bid will not be considered.

Negotiation accommodates the government’s need for flexibility in evaluating potential contractors through factors other than price. These other factors may include technical aspects of the proposal, such as delivery or completion dates, performance requirements, and technical expertise. Proposals may even be improved or clarified during negotiations. To solicit a proposal for this type of procurement, the Smithsonian issues a request for proposal that details performance specifications, as well as detailed design specifications. Negotiations are conducted with all firms in the competitive range. At the conclusion of negotiations, all firms in the competitive range are requested to submit a “best and final offer,” which usually forms the basis for contract awards. The Smithsonian measures the proposals it receives through standards set forth by evaluation criteria as stated in the original solicitation. Accordingly, solicitations should be analyzed carefully to avoid responding to those with requirements that cannot be fully satisfied.

Purchase Orders
Purchase orders under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold are generally awarded as fixed-price contracts, meaning a definite price for the product or service is agreed upon before the contract is awarded. This price remains fixed throughout the life of the contract and usually is not subject to adjustment. This type of contract does not require detailed accounts of direct and indirect costs. Fixed-price contracts generally are used when clear designs or performance specifications are available and fair and reasonable prices can be estimated and established.

Cost-reimbursement contracts provide for payment to the contractor of all allowable costs incurred during performance of the contract. This type of contract may also establish payment of a fixed fee to the contractor over and above the allowable costs incurred during the course of the contract. Cost-reimbursement contracts generally are used when a project’s work specifications cannot be detailed, as in research and development activities, and when performance questions establish that a fixed-price contract is inappropriate.

Purchase Cards and Unit Blanket Agreements
Although the purchase card is preferred for most micro-purchases (those under $2,500), the Smithsonian establishes unit blanket agreements (UBAs) with vendors that do not accept the purchase card. Upon establishment of a UBA, the unit gives the prospective vendor a purchase order that describes the supplies or services, lists the personnel authorized to place the order, and places a dollar limitation on each order. Smithsonian units are authorized to establish their own unit-based UBAs with limits on the annual cost per agreement.

HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NEEDS

Information on the Smithsonian's current or future procurement activities may be obtained from the following sources:

Advanced Procurement Plans and Forecast of Purchasing and Contracting Opportunities
When a Smithsonian unit plans to acquire an individual product, system or service valued at $25,000 or more during the next fiscal year, it must report these planned acquisitions to OCon in an "Advanced Procurement Plan" no later than August 31 of each year. These plans contain a brief description of the item, its purpose or planned use, the estimated cost, and the fiscal year quarter when a purchase order or requisition is expected that will begin the acquisition process.The SD Program Manager compiles the annual Smithsonian "Forecast of Contracting Opportunities" to help small, minority-, women-owned, HUB zone, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses develop their marketing strategies. The forecast contains information on projected contracting activities using Federal funds over $25,000 and lists a description of the project, the quarter of the fiscal year award is anticipated, the estimated value range of each procurement, the Smithsonian unit where the requirement will originate, and a contact name and telephone number.

Smithsonian Contacts
This publication includes a list of Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices, as well as a description of the types of activities each one carries out. Vendors may review this information and then select Smithsonian units they wish to contact. The postal addresses and phone numbers of these Smithsonian units are listed. Bulk mailings can be directed to the Unit Procurement Officer, the Administrative Officer, and the Supplier Diversity Program Liaison.

To narrow the search, the Supplier Diversity Program manager provides counseling and guidance to small, minority, 8(a), woman-owned, HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned business representatives seeking to do business with the Smithsonian. One-on-one advice can be provided upon request to help identify specific personnel in Smithsonian units with needs that may correspond to a firm’s capabilities. At this point, discussions are kept to general Smithsonian needs and procurement policies and practices, since any commitments or advance notifications on potential purchases are strictly prohibited.

The Federal Business Opportunities Portal
The Web site FedBizOpps is the single point of entry for federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Through FedBizOpps, commercial vendors seeking federal markets for their products and services can search for, identify, and monitor contracting opportunities solicited by the entire federal contracting community. Interested parties may look at www.fedbizopps.gov for some Smithsonian opportunities as well.

Central Contractor Registration System
The Central Contractor Registration System (CCR)—accessible at www.ccr.gov—is an Internet database of more than 350,000 small, minority, socially and economically disadvantaged 8(a), woman-owned, historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone), and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. CCR is open to all small firms seeking federal, state, and private contracts and is free to federal and state government agencies, as well as to prime and other contractors seeking small business contractors, subcontractors, or partnership opportunities. For more information or for an application, contact either the help desk at www.ccr.gov or the Smithsonian’s Supplier Diversity Program manager.

ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR SMALL AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES

The Small Business Act states that the economic security and growth of the nation depend upon the expansion of free competition, which requires special aid, protection, and assistance for small and disadvantaged businesses. As a result, the Smithsonian makes available the following opportunities for such businesses.

Small Business Set-Aside Program
Set-aside procurements for small businesses involve either a single contract or an entire class of contracts that may be made available for competition solely for small business firms. Announcements for such contracts are usually found on FedBizOpps, the federal business opportunities Web site at www.fedbizopps.gov. A small business is a concern (including all affiliates) that is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in any field of operation in which it is competing for federal contracts, and can further qualify under the criteria concerning number of employees, average annual receipts, or other criteria prescribed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Purchases Under $100,000
Each open-market acquisition of supplies and services of $100,000 or less that is subject to the simplified acquisition procedures (and not covered by priority government or Smithsonian sources) is reserved for small businesses.

Women-Owned Businesses
The Smithsonian sets annual goals for contract awards to businesses that are at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and operated by a woman or women who are U.S. citizens.

Small and Disadvantaged Business Program
The purpose of this program, also known as the 8(a) Program, is to help small and disadvantaged businesses compete effectively for contracts with federal agencies. Under this program, the Small Business Administration certifies socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses for eligibility to enter into contracts with federal agencies for products and services. Contracts are then issued non-competitively with firms certified as 8(a) by the SBA. Therefore, only firms receiving SBA certification are eligible to receive federal 8(a) contracts. Eligible firms include but are not limited to those owned by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Pacific Americans.

The 8(a) Program has been a major asset to the Smithsonian in architecture, engineering, construction, and exhibit fabrication work. In recent years, the Smithsonian has emphasized using the program for numerous other contractual requirements, particularly for information technology products and services.

Subcontracting Opportunities
Contracts with the government for more than $500,000 (or $1 million for construction projects), with some exceptions, must include acceptable subcontracting plans for the participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in the completion of the contract. Information about such opportunities can be found on the Web site FedBizOpps. This requirement is not in effect if the prime contractor is a small or disadvantaged business, if the contract work is to be performed outside of the country, or if no subcontracting opportunities are anticipated.

HOW TO GET STARTED

If you own or operate a small, minority, 8(a), woman-owned, HUBZone, or service-disabled veteran-owned business and would like to be included in the Smithsonian’s Supplier Diversity Program Small Business Database, visit www.si.edu/oeema/sdbu.htm. You may also send a capabilities statement describing the products or services provided by your firm to:

A good way to identify requirements is to call the Supplier Diversity Program office, which provides counseling and advice, as well as assistance with points of contact at the Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices. For further information, contact the Supplier Diversity Program manager at (202) 633-6430 or by fax at (202) 633-2427.

SPECIAL APPROVALS

The following commodities or services require coordination among various Smithsonian Institution offices.

Advertising, general: Includes advertising and public service announcements for newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. Most large Smithsonian museums have public affairs offices of their own. There is also a centralized Office of Public Affairs.

Architect and engineer (A&E) services: The authority to award contracts is reserved for the director of the Office of Contracting. Acquisition is accomplished through negotiation and review by an A&E evaluation board chaired by the associate director, Office of Engineering, Design, and Construction, a division of the Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations.

Construction and structural modifications or improvements: Requirements are coordinated and approved by the Design and Construction Division, Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations.

Information technology (IT) management services, hardware, and software: The Office of the Chief Information Officer reviews larger IT requirements for management services and hardware. Standard off-the-shelf software products must be approved by the Office of the Chief Information Officer and then may be purchased by the units. For Mobile Applications - Policy; NAICS Codes.

Intellectual property: The Office of Contracting awards contracts for copyright and trademark licensing agreements in coordination with the Office of General Counsel and Smithsonian Enterprises.

Modular furniture and office redesign: The Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations handles all new requests.

Motor vehicles: The Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations is responsible for maintaining the Smithsonian’s fleet.

Real property leases: The Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations is responsible for handling real property leases in coordination with the Office of Contracting.

WHAT THE SMITHSONIAN BUYS

Goods and services that the Smithsonian Institution procures on a recurring basis include:

The Smithsonian Institution is made up of more than 50 museums, research centers, programs, and offices of diverse size and mission. Most of the purchasing is decentralized, which means that individual offices have authority for making their own purchases, particularly those procurements under $25,000. This section provides a brief description of each Smithsonian unit, organized under these headings: Museums, Research Centers, Education and Outreach Units, Administrative and Support Offices, and Business Ventures Offices.

Contact information for each unit, including the main telephone number, also is provided. When contacting a unit, ask for the Unit Procurement Officer, the Administrative Officer, or the Supplier Diversity Program Liaison. As the Smithsonian upgrades its telephone system, some of the phone numbers listed in this brochure will change. If a telephone number is no longer in service, contact Smithsonian Information at (202) 633-1000 for a new number.

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS

The Smithsonian has 18 museums and galleries and the National Zoo that present exhibitions to inform, educate, and entertain visitors. Scholars and scientists based in the museums also carry out behind-the-scenes research in fields related to science, history, and the arts on which the exhibitions are based.

Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture
The museum explores and documents the historical experiences and cultural expressions of people of African descent. It offers exhibitions, educational programs, workshops, lectures, and films at its site in Washington, D.C.’s historic Anacostia neighborhood, at other Smithsonian museums, and at colleges and cultural centers across the country.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
Together, these two galleries form the national museum of Asian art for the United States. Both actively seek to stimulate interest in and increase knowledge of the artistic and cultural traditions of Asia through exhibitions, public programs, research, publications, collections management, and acquisitions. Although their collections are stored and exhibited separately, the two museums share a director, administration, and staff.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Located in New York City, the museum is devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. It presents a range of perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational programs, exhibitions, and publications. Its collections are international in scope and date from the Han Dynasty to the present.

2 East 91st St.
New York, N.Y. 10128-0669
Phone: (212) 849-8400

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
This museum of modern and contemporary international art has a rapidly growing permanent collection that encompasses approximately 11,500 paintings, sculptures, mixed-media installations, and works on paper, including significant collections of contemporary art, European painting since World War II, and American painting since the late 19th century. The museum maintains active exhibition and educational programs that examine and inform the public about the art of our time.

National Air and Space Museum
The museum maintains the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It is also a center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. In its building on the National Mall, the museum displays hundreds of artifacts, including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch.

National Museum of African American History and Culture
On December 16, 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation to create a National Museum of African American History and Culture within the Smithsonian Institution. This new museum will be devoted to the documentation of African Americanlife, art, history, and culture. The Institution is currently engaged in a pre-planning process, as well as an effort to raise funds. Services and products needed for this new museum will be determined as the project develops and a director is selected.

National Museum of African Art
The museum, dedicated to advancing an appreciation and understanding of Africa’s rich visual arts and diverse cultures, collects and exhibits the arts of the entire continent of Africa from ancient to contemporary times. The permanent collection, numbering more than 7,000 objects, is a resource for the study of African art and culture. Educational programs offer innovative approaches to engage visitors with African art. Research resources include the Warren M. Robbins Library and the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives.

National Museum of American History
The museum is responsible for the collection, care, and preservation of more than 3 million objects. The collections, which represent the nation’s heritage in the areas of science, technology, sociology, and culture, are presented in exhibitions dedicated to understanding the experiences and aspirations of Americans. These collections include: first ladies’ gowns, a Samuel Morse telegraph, locomotives, tools, an Alexander Graham Bell telephone, the flag that inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner,” American-made quilts, Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves, Duke Ellington’s sheet music, and TV puppet star Howdy Doody. In January 2004, the museum announced plans for a three-phase revitalization of its 40-year-old building, to continue for at least several years.

National Museum of the American Indian
The museum is an institution of living cultures dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. More than 15 years of planning and collaboration with tribal communities from across the hemisphere culminated in the opening of its museum on the National Mall on September 21, 2004. With its Native-designed architecture, exhibitions, and landscaping, the museum is a one-of-a-kind institution dedicated to the cultures, histories, languages, and artifacts of American Indians.

The museum also operates an exhibition facility in New York City at the George Gustav Heye Center and the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, which houses the collection and serves as a research, conservation, and support facility.

National Museum of Natural History
The museum is dedicated to the study and preservation of the world’s most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. With the largest professional staff of any museum in the world, the museum carries out critical research and produces educational programs and exhibitions that present the work of its scientists and curators to the public and scientific community.

National Portrait Gallery
The museum will reopen in the newly renovated Patent Office Building in the summer of 2006, after extensive renovation. The Portrait Gallery combines American history, biography, and art in its dedication to the exhibition and study of the portraits of individuals who have made significant contributions to American history and culture. Its collection also includes films, recordings, and videotapes pertaining to objects, people, and events. The museum sponsors a variety of scholarly and public activities.

National Postal Museum
Dedicated to the preservation, study, and presentation of postal history and philately, this museum has one of the largest and most significant philatelic and postal history collections in the world, a comprehensive library on philately and postal history, and five exhibition galleries highlighting postal history from Colonial times to the present.

National Zoological Park
The National Zoo, which exhibits living animal and plant collections to provide educational and recreational opportunities for the public, is also a leading center for zoo animal care, reproductive biology, and conservation research. Its mission is to celebrate, study, and protect the diversity of animals and their habitats. The 163-acre park in the heart of Washington, D.C., is home to a diverse animal collection, ranging from hummingbirds to elephants.

Zoo scientists also work at its 3,200-acre Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, and in the field.

In addition to many of the supplies and services listed for all Smithsonian units at the beginning of this section, the National Zoological Park also procures animal feed and veterinary equipment.

Smithsonian American Art Museum
The nation’s first federal art collection, the museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of American art. The museum provides circulating exhibitions, educational materials, publications, and online research resources, with the objective of promoting art as a source of enrichment for the general visitor, artist, and scholar alike and functioning as a resource for American visual arts. While the museum’s historic home undergoes renovation, American Art offers a full program of exhibitions at its Renwick Gallery, located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. The Renwick features American crafts and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present. The main museum building is expected to reopen to the public in the summer of 2006.

One of the world’s leading scientific research centers, the Smithsonian has facilities in eight states and the Republic of Panama devoted to the study of various scientific disciplines, including astrophysics and marine biology.

Archives of American Art
The Archives collects, preserves, and makes available primary source material documenting the history of the visual arts in America. It is the world’s largest single source for such information. The Archives of American Art maintains research centers in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and San Marino, California. Access to information about the collections is available through the Archives’ online catalog, printed and online finding aids and guides, and assistance from the reference staff.

In addition to many of the supplies and services listed for all Smithsonian units at the beginning of this section, the Archives of American Art also procures transcriptions of oral history interviews.

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the observatory collaborates with the Harvard College Observatory in a technically diverse program of research. The observatory provides a host of research programs in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, atomic and molecular physics, and high-energy astrophysics. Its research has helped the United States maintain worldwide leadership in astrophysical research and has had a major impact on the worldwide scientific community.

60 Garden St.
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Phone: (617) 495-7376

Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education
The center is engaged in scientific research contributing to preserving, conserving, and understanding the materials world cultural heritage and natural history, with relevance to Smithsonian collections and related materials in focal areas of the universe, earth and planets, life’s diversity, and human cultures. The center uses its unique capabilities in cultural materials analysis, technological interpretation, and preservation to assist the Smithsonian Institution in informing, educating, and inspiring diverse audiences.

4210 Silver Hill Rd.
Suitland, Md. 20746
Phone: (301) 238-1240

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
The center is a global leader for research education and professional training, focused on connections between ecosystems at the land-sea margin. A diverse staff of 17 senior scientists and more than 180 researchers, technicians, and students conduct long-term descriptive and experimental research addressing such issues as global change, the effects of nutrients and chemicals passing through our landscapes, and protection of fragile wetlands and woodlands. The center’s main campus, 25 miles from the nation’s capital, encompasses 2,800 acres of woods and pastureland and 14 miles of shoreline along the Rhode River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. This unique outdoor laboratory serves as a hub for studies that extend around the globe.

Box 28
Edgewater, Md. 21037
Phone: (443) 482-2200

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
The Tropical Research Institute was created to increase understanding of the past, present, and future of tropical biodiversity and its relevance to human welfare. The institute concentrates on basic research of ecology and evolution, principally in tropical forests and coral reefs. It maintains 12 research facilities throughout the Republic of Panama and a major tropical sciences library at its headquarters in Panama City. In addition, the institute conducts research through a network of research stations in the American tropics and Kenya.

These units serve an educational function for the general public and for specific audiences and help share the Smithsonian’s collections, programs, and activities with people around the nation.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage is internationally known as a center of excellence in the research and presentation of grassroots cultural traditions. Since its beginnings in 1967, the center has created an unparalleled collection of research documents on the traditional cultures of the United States and the world, and its scholars have achieved prominence as practitioners and theorists of cultural democracy. Through its Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and other programs, the center reaches audiences of millions each year. The educational staff has pioneered folklife education efforts, developing model training programs, curriculum materials, and multimedia educational products.

In addition to some of the goods and services listed at the beginning of this section, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage procures sound equipment, tents, bleachers, and supplies and materials for use at its outdoor events; works with regional and traditional food concessionaires; and contracts with researchers around the world.

National Science Resources Center
The mission of this center is to improve the learning and teaching of science in school districts in the United States and throughout the world. Formed by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies in 1985, it offers integrated leadership development for school districts, professional development for teachers, and exemplary science curriculum for students, from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Office of Fellowships
The office manages the Smithsonian’s programs of research grants, fellowships, and other scholarly appointments and encourages and assists Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices in the development of additional fellowships and visiting appointments.

Smithsonian Affiliations
This is a national outreach program that offers museums and non-profit cultural institutions across the country the opportunity for greater access to Smithsonian collections and resources. Through the Smithsonian Affiliations Program, the Institution shares artifacts, programs, and expertise with communities around the country. In fall 2004, Smithsonian Affiliations had partnerships with 138 museums and cultural institutions in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
The program works to better reflect the Asian Pacific American experience in Smithsonian exhibitions, programs, and research. It seeks to improve the public’s appreciation of the crucial roles Asian Pacific Americans have played in American history, and simultaneously, it empowers Asian Pacific American communities in their sense of inclusion within the national culture.

The Smithsonian Associates
The Smithsonian Associates provides educational and cultural programs that highlight and complement the work of the Smithsonian Institution through a wide variety of formats, including performances, lectures, courses, workshops, and special events on the National Mall and across the country. During its 39-year history, The Smithsonian Associates has become the nation’s largest museum-based continuing education program. Each year, The Smithsonian Associates creates and presents nearly 1,500 educational and cultural events. Individuals of all ages and backgrounds engage in the life of the Smithsonian by participating in these events.

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
The center serves as a gateway to the Institution’s education resources. Through research, publishing, and staff development programs for the education and museum communities, the center promotes the understanding and use of museums.

Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives
The center facilitates long-term, pan-institutional efforts across 18 Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, and the Institution’s numerous research centers to deliver programming that more accurately represents the experiences and contributions of U.S. Latinos in history, science, culture, art, society, and the humanities.

Smithsonian Institution Archives
As the “institutional memory” of the Smithsonian, the Archives is the official repository of the Institution’s records, the scholarly and personal papers of staff and affiliated scholars, and the historical records of professionally related societies and associations.

Smithsonian Institution Libraries
This organization unites 20 libraries into one system supported by an online catalog of the combined collections. It maintains publication exchanges with more than 4,000 institutions worldwide that supply Smithsonian scientists and curators with current periodicals, exhibition catalogs, and professional society publications. The Libraries offers its treasures to the nation through book exhibitions, lectures, special tours, and a public Web site.

In addition to some of the goods and services listed for all Smithsonian units at the beginning of this section, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries procures cataloging; digitizing services; and the shifting, moving, and cleaning of books.

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
This organization—known as SITES—has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work, and play—at libraries, zoos, science centers, community centers, and many other cultural and community organizations.

These are the offices of the central administration of the Institution that work with and provide support to the many museums, research centers, and programs of the Smithsonian.

Office of the Comptroller
The office prepares and maintains the Smithsonian’s official accounting and financial records and reports. Major functions include the Smithsonian’s financial polices and procedures, financial analysis and reporting, and general accounting, including accounts payable, cash management, and travel reimbursement. In addition, the Office of the Comptroller supports the implementation of the new financial system and prepares the Institution’s financial statements, which are audited annually by an independent public accounting firm.

Office of Contracting
The office provides professional support to the Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices for all types of contractual transactions. As the central contracting office for the Institution, the office assists in furthering the mission of the Smithsonian by ensuring that applicable regulatory and administrative requirements are met during each phase of the contract award and management processes. Staff resolve disputes, protests, and breach of contract claims and provide technical assistance for developing contracts for programmatic activities that generate revenue for the Institution. External clients of the Office of Contracting are the contractors and vendors with whom the Smithsonian does business, federal and non-federal agencies, and the general public.

Office of Engineering, Design, and Construction
This is the Institution’s point of contact for all engineering, design, and construction issues for its facilities. The office produces design and engineering studies; prepares cost estimates for budgets and construction; reviews contracts; manages construction projects; and provides engineering and architectural services.

Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs
The office carries out the mission of equal opportunity by creating cultural and gender diversity through managing, monitoring, and evaluating equal opportunity and special emphasis programs. Several programs are housed here, including the Supplier Diversity Program for Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Affirmative Action/Workplace Diversity, Special Emphasis and Outreach, and EEO Complaints Processing.

Office of Exhibits Central
The office provides exhibit services for nearly every museum, research center, and office in the Institution. Its more than 40 staff members are involved in every phase of exhibition development, from initial concept to the scripting, design, production, and installation of traveling, temporary, and permanent exhibitions.

Office of Facilities Management and Reliability
This unit operates, maintains, and repairs Smithsonian facilities in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and New York City. It encompasses eight zoned building management organizations, horticulture, and museum support services and has approximately 850 staff, including painters, electricians, and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning technicians. This office is also responsible for services that support the Institution’s programs and exhibitions, including transportation and mail services.

Office of Government Relations
The Smithsonian is represented by this office in all matters of legislation, policy, operations, and governance to the Congress and other government branches at the federal, state, and local levels.

Office of Information Technology Operations
Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Smithsonian’s information technology infrastructure, this unit also covers telephone and wireless communications. The office serves as a resource for administrative and program activities and investigates and reports on significant changes in technology.

Office of Planning, Management, and Budget
This unit develops the annual federal and trust budgets for the Institution, ensuring that the budgets balance revenues and expenses. The office provides oversight and coordination for all management and budget activities; prepares budget materials to justify the requirements; and allocates federal and trust funds to Smithsonian units to execute program plans.

Office of Project Management
This office is responsible for the execution of the Capital Program, including the project management of specific construction and revitalization projects. The staff monitors, directs, and reports on the scope, budget, and schedule of individual projects and coordinates the efforts of consultants on multiple projects at each facility. The office conducts comprehensive facilities master planning studies, coordinates with the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission on Fine Arts, and assures proper environmental documentation.

Office of Protection Services
This unit protects and secures the Smithsonian collections and ensures the safety and security of staff and visitors while permitting an appropriate level of public access to collections. Duties include placing security officers on patrol within and outside Smithsonian facilities 24 hours a day, operating alarm systems, operating a unit to investigate criminal activities, maintaining Smithsonian parking lots, allocating parking spaces, and issuing Smithsonian credentials to employees and volunteers.

Office of Public Affairs
This is the central public relations office for the Institution. Through media relations and publications, it informs the American public, people around the world, and Smithsonian employees about the exhibitions, programs, and research activities of the Smithsonian. The Media unit acquaints the public, including diverse cultural communities in the United States and abroad, with the programs and policies of the Smithsonian by working with newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and general publications. The Publications unit produces in-house publications for staff and general informational materials for the public.

In addition to some of the goods and services listed for all Smithsonian units at the beginning of this section, the Office of Safety and Environmental Management procures physicians’ services, health unit supplies, calibration equipment, and laboratory testing services.

Office of Special Events and Protocol
The office works with internal and external organizations and scholars to assist in conducting events and conferences that contribute to the development and maintenance of current and potential constituencies. The office advises on appropriate event spaces, oversees contractual arrangements with vendors and payment for services, coordinates events, and obtains bids from caterers.

In addition to some of the goods and services listed for all Smithsonian units in the front of this section, the Office of Special Events and Protocol procures catering services, florists, musicians, and other products and services required for organizing events.

Office of Sponsored Projects
The office provides the Smithsonian community with administrative and financial services to support the acquisition and management of externally funded grants and sponsored project contracts.

Office of Systems Modernization
Responsible for keeping the Smithsonian’s information technology application systems at state-of-the-art levels, the office also serves as an information resource for administrative and program activities regarding significant changes in industry standards related to Smithsonian systems.

Office of the Treasurer
The mission of this office is to ensure the growth, safety, and integrity of the Smithsonian’s financial assets by developing funding for new trust projects and by preserving and protecting the Smithsonian’s operations, collections, facilities, and other assets.

Smithsonian Photographic Services
This office is the Smithsonian’s central source for the creation, processing, distribution, and archival storage of photographs and digital images. Using an online database, members of the public can download images for personal and educational use or purchase images in a variety of sizes.

Visitor Information and Associates’ Reception Center
This is the principal contact point for information about the Institution. Work is carried out through the Smithsonian Information Center in the Castle Building; information desks in the museums; a member reception desk in the Castle; telephone, postal, and e-mail response services for members and the general public; outreach to the tour and travel industry; Smithsonian outdoor wayfinding information signs; and volunteer programs that support the Institution’s public information activities and projects behind-the-scenes.

These offices support the Institution’s programs and activities with businesses that provide income through sales and other revenue generation, including magazines, theaters, restaurants, museum stores, and catalog products. All goods and services used by these offices are purchased with Smithsonian trust funds.

Smithsonian Magazine Group
Smithsonian magazine, with more than 2 million subscribers who are automatically enrolled as National Associate members of the Smithsonian Institution, each month examines art, science, history, biography, and nature around the world and across time, presenting relevant topics through the lens of our shared cultural heritage. The group also includes Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine and the free visitors’ guide “My Smithsonian.”

Museum Retail Group
This division manages all of the merchandising and operations for the stores in most Smithsonian museums and three airport stores at National, Dulles, and Newark; oversees operations of the restaurants; and manages concessions. Three IMAX theaters and one planetarium, as well as the marketing of these operations, also fall under the purview of this division.

Smithsonian Catalogue
This division is responsible for all mail-order activity of the gift Catalogue and e-commerce distribution channels, including Smithsonian Catalogue online at www.SmithsonianStore.com.

Product Development and Licensing
This office contracts and collaborates with manufacturers and marketers to identify objects and themes within the Smithsonian collections and translate them into marketable products that generate revenue for the licensee and the Institution.